Background: Obesity is a known risk factor of breast cancer.
However the contribution of different measures of
obesity(BMI, WHR, WC and HC) and their role in pre- and postmenopausal women is still not clear.

Aim: To study the role of obesity in causation of
breast cancer.

Methods:A hospital-based case control study was conducted in Tata
Memorial Hospital during the period of January 2009 to September 2013. Questionnaire data was collected on 1637 breast cancer
cases and 1515 female controls.

Conclusions:The study demonstrates that BC is preventable in India and is possible to
reverse the increasing trend of BC. The strategies
to reduce BMI should consider the cut-off of 18.5 kg/m2 as BMI lower
than this might increase the risk for pre- and postmenopausal BC. Future studies on BC should include much more sophisticated measurement
of central obesity and total body fat.